Security agency employees lack confidence in whistleblowing programs: Knowledge Driven Revolution

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Canada's auditor general says only about half the employees of federal public safety agencies believe their bosses would act on reports of misconduct.

In a report Tuesday, Sheila Fraser said workers need to know management will follow up on their whistleblowing and preserve their confidentiality.

Fraser's audit looked at the conduct of public business in the RCMP, the Correctional Service and the Canada Border Services Agency.

These public safety agencies together employ about 40,000 people and spend about $5.6 billion each year.

All three organizations had programs concerning values and ethics, as well as internal disclosure and audit.

However, only about 20 per cent of employees had received training in values and ethics. A survey of 400 rank-and-file employees in the three agencies showed that no more than half were familiar with agency ethics programs.

While as many as 80 per cent of employees said they themselves would report wrongdoing, they had serious doubts about their co-workers' willingness to do so, the report says.

Fraser found the extent to which management was seen to take misconduct reports seriously and probe them ranged from 60 per cent at the RCMP to a low of 45 per cent at the border agency.

"It takes more than formal programs alone to encourage employees to report wrongdoing by colleagues," she told a news conference.

"Employees have to be confident that management will take action on reports of wrongdoing."

Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day pointed a finger at the previous Liberal administration, saying he hoped "if a similar survey was done today the confidence level would be higher, because it's been a clear direction of this government that those who want to come forward with concerns are able to do so."

New Democrat MP Pat Martin said Fraser was "sounding the alarm" that a cultural shift must happen in the public service, allowing employees to speak out.

Treasury Board President John Baird said the government's Accountability Act, which includes new whistleblower protections, would help instill the necessary cultural change, but he acknowledged, "that's not going to happen overnight."

The audit also looked at compliance with regulations at the public safety agencies in three areas where there is a heightened risk of abuse: overtime charges, contracting and the use of government credit cards.

It concluded all three agencies had improperly handed out contracts without competition "to the detriment of fairness and equal access."

In addition, the border and prison agencies did not have proper oversight practices for contracting.

Fraser found outright abuse of credit cards in "only a small number of cases."

"Nevertheless, the RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency had high levels of non-compliance with the rules."

The auditor uncovered one case in which an RCMP employee made personal purchases for car insurance and a fitness membership. "The RCMP could not provide a receipt or contract for the gym membership, nor an adequate explanation for either purchase."

The agencies generally agreed with most of Fraser's findings and recommendations and corrective action had already been taken in some areas.

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HOME Rouge States and the 9/11 Truth Terrorists Canadians Should Pay NOT to be Poisoned: NDP V for Vendetta - R for Reality Canadian Bird Flu Pandemic Looming ? Shill of the Week: Stephan Harper Aspartame: The Sweetest Killer Chicken Little Terrorist of the Week: Creating Fake Terrorists Shill of the Week: Paul Martin The Number 1 Reason YOU became a Slave	Security agency employees lack confidence in whistleblowing programs: auditor Jim Bronskill - CP December 01, 2006 Related - What is Wrong With Canada ? Canada's auditor general says only about half the employees of federal public safety agencies believe their bosses would act on reports of misconduct. In a report Tuesday, Sheila Fraser said workers need to know management will follow up on their whistleblowing and preserve their confidentiality. Fraser's audit looked at the conduct of public business in the RCMP, the Correctional Service and the Canada Border Services Agency. These public safety agencies together employ about 40,000 people and spend about $5.6 billion each year. All three organizations had programs concerning values and ethics, as well as internal disclosure and audit. However, only about 20 per cent of employees had received training in values and ethics. A survey of 400 rank-and-file employees in the three agencies showed that no more than half were familiar with agency ethics programs. While as many as 80 per cent of employees said they themselves would report wrongdoing, they had serious doubts about their co-workers' willingness to do so, the report says. Fraser found the extent to which management was seen to take misconduct reports seriously and probe them ranged from 60 per cent at the RCMP to a low of 45 per cent at the border agency. "It takes more than formal programs alone to encourage employees to report wrongdoing by colleagues," she told a news conference. "Employees have to be confident that management will take action on reports of wrongdoing." Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day pointed a finger at the previous Liberal administration, saying he hoped "if a similar survey was done today the confidence level would be higher, because it's been a clear direction of this government that those who want to come forward with concerns are able to do so." New Democrat MP Pat Martin said Fraser was "sounding the alarm" that a cultural shift must happen in the public service, allowing employees to speak out. Treasury Board President John Baird said the government's Accountability Act, which includes new whistleblower protections, would help instill the necessary cultural change, but he acknowledged, "that's not going to happen overnight." The audit also looked at compliance with regulations at the public safety agencies in three areas where there is a heightened risk of abuse: overtime charges, contracting and the use of government credit cards. It concluded all three agencies had improperly handed out contracts without competition "to the detriment of fairness and equal access." In addition, the border and prison agencies did not have proper oversight practices for contracting. Fraser found outright abuse of credit cards in "only a small number of cases." "Nevertheless, the RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency had high levels of non-compliance with the rules." The auditor uncovered one case in which an RCMP employee made personal purchases for car insurance and a fitness membership. "The RCMP could not provide a receipt or contract for the gym membership, nor an adequate explanation for either purchase." The agencies generally agreed with most of Fraser's findings and recommendations and corrective action had already been taken in some areas. Read the full article here Broken Link? If the link to the original article is broken or has been altered you can view the article by clicking here. About KDR \| \| Home \| \| Weekly Features Archive	Weekly Features Archive
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Security agency employees lack confidence in whistleblowing programs: auditor